Summer 2009

Articles

Has your organization experienced fraud, or have you been able to prevent it? Although each case is unique, there are some common threads companies can detect. This article presents a real fraud investigation and offers tips on how to prevent, detect, and investigate such activity.

Performing an Internal Control Function to Sustain SOX 404 and Improve Risk Management: Evidence from Europe

By Laurent Cappelletti, Ph.D.

In this article, which is based on research about how 15 European public and private companies were working to enhance their risk management and internal control systems, the author proposes a model for setting up an internal control system that will help companies comply with various government regulations and improve how they manage risks.

The ABC Simulator: A New Approach to Teaching Traditional Topics

By A. James McKee, Ph.D., and Keith Lantz, Ph.D.

Most students today seem to learn better through a mixture of technology and regular classroom instruction. Here the authors demonstrate how the ABC Simulator, a Flash-based simulation, helps students understand the conceptual and practical differences between functional-based costing (FBC) and activity-based costing (ABC) while having fun at the same time.

How Message Board Rumors Can Hurt Your Business

By Letitia Meier Pleis, Ph.D., CMA, CFM, CPA

Stock market message boards are becoming more popular than ever. The problem with the postings on them is that the information includes questions, factual statements, opinions, rumors, and irrelevant nonsense. What effect can this have on a company’s reputation? The author conducted an experiment with the help of 110 MBA students to begin to find out.

Teaching Future Management Accountants

How well do accounting curricula reflect the new role of the management accountant? The authors examined seven popular cost/management accounting textbooks and 20 course syllabi to see how much of a gap exists between practitioners and textbooks concerning the current knowledge needs of the profession.